THIS WAS AN UPLIFTING PRE-CHRISTMAS READ. It's an autobiography that traces
the well-known pastor's life circumstances from childhood to his painful divorce and the
death of his ex-wife. A latchkey child, he was haunted by the thought that there would always be no one there for him. While his young widowed mother tried to get him the occasional adult company and supervision, he grew up with a “sinking feeling of abandonment”. From young, he took on menial low-paying jobs like newspaper delivery, car wash and though he made the grade, he could not afford college until a pastor who heard about it offered him a scholarship in the last minute. Throughout life and ministry, he experienced periods of intense anxiety when waiting for a provision that was needed or for a direction from God. Such are moments we tend to think that God has sovereignly changed His mind but Stanley always sticks it out to see God create something out of nothing or out of chaos.
“God will give you everything you require to accomplish what He’s
planned for you.
True to form, God was right on time, as He always is.”
This book is written as much for new believers as it is for those who are discouraged and who find Him
distant and silent in times of private distress. Stanley knows and has
this word for those going through dark nights of the soul: Take it from me, you can overcome anything that happens in your life – regardless
of how devastating or hopeless it may seem – by having faith in God. The same
is true for you. The enemy knows how to discourage you. The message may be
different, but the effect is the same: he makes you feel futile, unwanted, and
without hope. But don’t believe him. The Lord …has given you the storms you
experience for a purpose – to transform you and those around you. So obey Him,
turn in to the tempest and don’t be afraid.
It is clear from the book that Stanley
goes through life on his knees. I can testify to the power of crying on my
knees, calling out to Jesus on my knees, praying on my knees, listening on my knees,
and falling asleep on my knees. That posture of total surrender intimates to our
natural senses a total surrender to God.
Struggling with loss alone
“The truth of the
matter is that, eventually, a lack of encouragement and support from fellow
Christians always takes a toll on our spiritual lives and invariably leads us
to feelings of alienation and isolation. We become easy targets for the enemy.”
As a well-known preacher who was not only mourning the loss of his marriage,
but also fearing how the separation would affect his ministry, God provided him
with friends who showed up for him even when dark clouds of gloom were overhead.
When it’s tiring to
stand strong
“When we lose those closest to us to death, discord, or distance, it
strikes at the core of our worth, identity and security and injuring us down to
our innermost parts. I learnt that grief is not something that can or should be
cut short. All pious works in the world will never fill a grieving heart. Rather,
you and I must allow the pain to run its full course so that we can experience
the healing our heavenly Father intends.”
Stanley also learned that
“God hasn’t called me to understand, but to obey Him, forgive others, and seek
forgiveness…Like many divorced people, I never dreamed that I would not be
married for my entire life. Friday nights used to be the most difficult.”
MY FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“Earthly fathers may
be unreliable, but the Lord is absolutely faithful.”
“Our obedience is the
fruit of what Jesus has given us – not the prerequisite to having a
relationship with Him.”
“If the Father doesn’t
answer you immediately, that just means you don’t need to know yet.”
“It is always worthwhile
to trust God and do as He says, even when it means flying straight into the
storm.”
“Are you an oyster or
an eagle?”